ICE deports Sacramento man wanted in Mexico for mass murder

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A Mexican national, who resided in the Sacramento area, was deported to his native country Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), where he faces multiple homicide charges stemming from an attack 14 years ago that killed eight government officials in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Genaro Olaguez-Rendon, 54, was turned over to Mexican authorities at the San Ysidro border crossing by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers. Olaguez was escorted to the border by ERO personnel from the Sacramento area, where he had been held in ICE custody prior to his removal.

According to an arrest warrant issued by Mexican authorities, Olaguez is one of eight defendants charged with murder, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy in connection with the May 2, 2000, massacre in Sinaloa, which also seriously injured several others.

Based upon a lead from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office indicating Olaguez might be living with Sacramento-area relatives since fleeing Mexico, the fugitive murder suspect was captured Dec. 3 by ERO officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force. Olaguez admitted to ERO officers that he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2001.

Further investigation by ERO revealed Olaguez had been charged in January 2013 by San Joaquin County with drug trafficking violations and there was an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest. Olaguez was transferred to the Sacramento County Jail based on the outstanding local warrant, at which time ERO lodged an immigration detainer against the fugitive murder suspect to ensure he would be transferred to ICE custody upon his release from local custody.

"Criminals who seek to escape responsibility for their actions by fleeing to the United States will find no sanctuary in our communities," said Timothy Aitken, field office director for ERO San Francisco. "ICE works closely with law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad to promote public safety and hold criminals accountable – no matter where they commit their crimes."

"The U.S. Marshals Service is pleased to have contributed to bringing Genaro Olaguez-Rendon to justice," said Albert Najera, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of California. "He represents the type of extremely violent individual that is abhorrent in any society. The USMS has a unique ability to locate and arrest fugitives, regardless of where they may run and hide. Once again, the law of the land has prevailed."

In December, Olaguez was convicted of cultivating and possessing marijuana for sale and sentenced to 365 days in the San Joaquin County Jail. He was released to ICE Feb. 21 and the agency issued a formal removal order three days later based upon his status as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony.

ICE officials credit recent strides in the sharing of criminal record information between the U.S. and Mexican governments as the reason Olaguez will now answer for the crimes he allegedly committed more than a decade ago.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 720 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE’s Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.